


Rena Rouge's no. 1 fan

by UniqueSmallTreasures



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: DJWifi, F/M, Fluff, I just had to write this, Inspired by Fanart, Nino-centric, Sapotis spoilers, This is pure fluff, and half of it is Nino fighting with fabrics and needles and fabric paint, djfox, the other half is him gushing about Alya and thinking how awesome Rena is
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-31
Updated: 2018-01-31
Packaged: 2019-03-11 17:29:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,530
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13529127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UniqueSmallTreasures/pseuds/UniqueSmallTreasures
Summary: One night seems like too little time to customize a hoodie, a t-shirt, a cap, a fidget-spinner, a water bottle, a phone strap, a pendant, headphones, on top of making a mixtape and an awesome music video.But Nino still decided to try.Partially because he had become Rena Rouge's no. 1 fan. Partially because he really wanted to impress his girlfriend.(contains spoilers for season 2 episode 10: Sapotis)





	Rena Rouge's no. 1 fan

**Author's Note:**

> **Inspired by theluckiestlb's genius post:** http://theluckiestlb.tumblr.com/post/170001906315/hc-everything-pretty-much-returns-to-normal-after  
>  **and gorgeous fanart by tides-miraculous:** http://tides-miraculous.tumblr.com/post/170142185682/theluckiestlb-hc-everything-pretty-much-returns **and** http://tides-miraculous.tumblr.com/post/170291029287/tides-miraculous-theluckiestlb-hc-everything

The truth was, he only wanted a bag of chips. He was planning to have a lazy evening, maybe watch a concert of a binge watch a TV show that Adrien recommended to him. He was not expecting an akuma running after him to steal his cap and him trying desperately to keep in on his head. He was lucky enough that he could lose the little monster by sacrificing few sweets he had in his jean’s pockets. 

He should have been already accustomed to this, really, especially since he was an akuma too at one point. But it still took him by surprise, the panic that tended to grow in his stomach when he thought about what Alya was up to, each time an akuma attacked. Was she in trouble? Was she safely recording from a distance? Or was she almost in the heat of the battle, offering her commentary as Ladybug and Chat Noir fought in the background. He never knew, not with Alya. 

No wonder that his first thought had been to call her. But just as he pulled his phone out, he heard a commotion nearby. Nino was not foolish enough to go check it out right away, so he hid in the alleyway he escaped to earlier, wondering about his life choices. It’s not that he needed the chips really, he just had a craving and surely would manage the evening and night without them. But on the other hand, if something was happening in Paris, with an akuma involved, it meant Ladybug and Chat Noir where out as well. 

Which meant that Nino could be a good boyfriend and try to get some footage of said superheroes to brag to Alya later and maybe get a sweet reward for his troubles. He even had some ideas as to how Alya could thank him, his imagination rewarding him with a picture of Alya standing on her tiptoes and smacking his cheek with her lips. 

So when the little demons passed his alley, Nino carefully made his way out to see his surroundings and spotted Chat Noir fighting alone with a swarm of little demons. Phone already set on recording, he quietly got closer, making sure he wouldn’t be spotted by anyone: not Chat and diffidently not the akumas. 

And it seemed that Chat Noir had been having some trouble. Nino worried his lips, wondering where Ladybug was, Chat echoing his thoughts a moment later. It didn’t take long before Chat became overwhelmed. Nino watched in horror as Chat had been defeated, falling under little demons, calling themselves Sapotis. He tried to think of a solution to help Chat Noir, but it proved not to be necessary. Just when Nino had been making his mind to draw the attention away from Chat Noir, Ladybug’s yo-yo appeared, helping him out instead, full of grace. But before Nino could relax, he noticed that Ladybug hadn’t been alone. There had been a new fox-like girl running alongside Ladybug to save the poor cat. 

Nino’s full attention focused on her immediately, without him paying attention to it. She was fighting differently than Chat or Ladybug, using a flute and landing pretty awesome kicks on her opponents. Her hair reminded Nino of Alya, despite the white ends, but her costume was almost exactly like Lila’s when she was akumatized. The new girl seemed super excited too and watching her brought a wide smile to Nino’s face. She was full of life and energy and yet seemed super cool. It was like she was born to be this awesome superhero and she used all her power to show-off. Nino couldn’t help it, he was star-struck, as he watched her.

Rena Rouge was a completely different heroine than the other two. Her stance was confident when she introduced herself to Chat Noir and Nino almost went out of hiding spot before he remembered he could zoom with his phone camera on her. He just wanted to get closer to her, see more of her. He couldn’t even explain it, it was just like an overwhelming urge he suddenly felt. His heart even skipped a beat as he observed him, freaking him out a bit. He had to repeat to himself that he had a girlfriend and that he shouldn’t get so excited by a superheroine before he realized that he could later get excited over her with said girlfriend. It’s not like Alya didn’t have a crush on Ladybug, it was only fair if he idolized this new heroine too. Alya would surely understand. Hopefully. He would ask her about it later. 

In the meantime, he tried to follow the trio as they started changing locations. It was pretty hard to keep up with the superheroes and he had to move quickly, even ending on a rooftop, hiding behind a chimney so he could get a front-seat view on the action. Sometimes he switched to taking pictures, sometimes the video he got was blurry or he was too far away, but still he managed to film some great stuff: Ladybug using her Lucky Charm, all of the heroes running on Chat’s extended baton, Rena using her own power called Mirage, Chat using Cataclysm and all three saving the day. Unfortunately, he got distracted when he saw that the akuma possessed Alya’s little sisters and lost track of Rena Rouge and Ladybug. Chat was quick to disappear with the small girls and it took Nino quite some time to get down from a rooftop. Getting up proved to be easy compared to getting down. 

He got back home in a daze, forgetting completely about his task of getting chips. This was such a magical thing to witness! He couldn’t stop glancing at his phone, Rena Rouge’s cocky smile greeting him. He wanted to call Alya and tell her everything about this or call Adrien because he was as crazy about the superheroes, but somehow, he couldn’t. For a moment he felt like he was discovering some huge secret that he shouldn’t share just yet. And from the research he had made after returning home, he was the only one to witness this new Miraculous wielder. There were no posts on the Ladyblog, no pictures on the Miraculous forums, even the newsfeed on Alya’s twitter had been silent about this. 

Then it hit him. Nino could prove to Alya he was the best boyfriend ever and as crazy about Parisian superheroes as she was. Or well, about one superhero mostly. Because he admired Ladybug and had a soft spot about Chat Noir, but Rena Rouge seemed from another league altogether. And he couldn’t stop thinking about her. 

First of all, he took all of the recorded footage, picked the best shots he had and edited them to a song of his choice. Somehow a song from a singer called Foxes seemed really fitting. But that already cost him few hours and while working on the music video, he got another idea. 

He knew Alya was obsessed with Ladybug and Chat Noir, so surely she would be as crazy about the new superheroine. He was checking the news constantly and found only some information that there was a third, unidentified person fighting alongside Chat Noir and Ladybug. It seemed he was the only one with pictures and videos and even knowing the name of Rena Rouge. He knew it would already make Alya happy and proud of him, but he wanted to do something more. Maybe start a fanclub? 

But he figured out that the thing he would need the most, to show Alya his own dedication and excitement would be owning some merchandise of Rena Rouge. The fact he considered her an outstanding superhero was only an added bonus and he had a footage to prove just how awesome she was. The only problem was, that there was no merchandise of Rena Rouge and the only way to fix that was to make some. By himself. 

Which lead a sleepy, grumpy Nino to rummage through his closet to find some stuff he wasn’t using, but which he could customize into handmade merchandise. He knew Marinette had a headband with Chat Noir’s ears and she made Alya a strap that was Ladybug-themed, but he wanted to make something better. And bigger. He was competitive when it mattered and somehow he felt that this had been important. 

After a few moments of looking through his stuff, he found an old t-shirt, an orange cap he rarely wore and a hoodie he got as a gift from his uncle, but never got to wear. 

“Okay, if we’re gonna do it, we have to do it right, like Marinette would,” Nino whispered to himself, pulling out a notebook and a pencil before sitting on the floor in the middle of his room, a big pillow resting at the small of his back. He positioned it against his bed, so he could rest if needed and got comfortable. 

First, he made a list of things he could do, trying to get as many ideas as he could. The most obvious were the clothes: he could use the t-shirt, hoodie and cap, especially since they were white and orange and wouldn’t be that hard to customize. Next, he put on the list a phone strap, a fidget spinner, a water bottle, headphones, a case for his glasses – all of them could be easily decorated with Rena’s pictures, he would just have to print them. He sketched roughly how he wanted the stuff to look and soon he was surrounded by designs. 

He browsed through the pictures he had taken when he wasn’t filming, picking his favourites to print out. He also googled pictures of foxes and decided finally on a photo he could easily trace and change into a drawing, before printing it. His floor was turning into a mess, but he only sighed and reminded himself that he’s doing that out of love. 

Speaking of love, his thoughts drifted back to Alya. His hand didn’t stop working, sketching the pedant he noticed Rena wearing and thought how pretty it would look around Alya’s neck. If he had a phone strap with the same design, they would have a matching set and that would surely earn him some boyfriend-points. 

As the clock in his room announced it was midnight, Nino carefully sneaked out of his room. If he wanted to do this, he would have to stay awake for the whole night. He made himself coffee, wished he managed to get to the store to get some snacks and got to work, his phone close, so he could both study Rena’s costume and ask google for help when he needed it.

Of course, he started with small things. A bit of clay he had in his room for school purposes and art classes quickly turned into the shape of the pedant Rena Rouge wore, as his photo printed the pictures he selected. He pulled some of his stuff that he used daily and glued the printed pictures onto them. He couldn’t decide which headphones to customize yet, so he left them for later. He also started thinking what, apart from an extra clay pedant he could give to Alya, before deciding that she could tell him later what she would like and he could make it for her. Or maybe he would get inspired sometime later during the night. 

Quite happy with what he had already made, he drowned the last drops of his coffee and decided to set the clay pendants. It took him some time to find the wire in his room and pliers he could use to twist the wire into nice loops, so the pendant could hang on a chain or a string. He looked for a phone strap and got rid of the football attached to it and was happy to see that the second pendant was a perfect size for it. Though he didn’t attach it yet because he would first have to bake the clay to harden it. 

Because of that, he had to make quiet trips to the kitchen’s oven and he had to visit his mom’s supply closet to take all the paints, brushes, sewing kit, iron and everything else he figured out he might need. Luckily he hadn’t woke up anyone and managed to make himself more coffee to get him through the night. Which counted as a win in his head. He could already picture himself, dressed in all this merch from head to toe and it made him even more determined to keep working.

He returned to his spot on the floor, took few sips of coffee and went through the sketches of what he wanted to make. He knew he wouldn’t be able to make anything elaborate. He was also wary of damaging the clothes he picked and wished it was an earlier hour so he could call Marinette. Then again, she was having a sleepover at Alya’s place, so maybe he would spoil the surprise then? Nino was determined to this all by himself, whatever the results. 

Though as Nino feared, the problems started when he got working with fabric. First of all, he had no idea what to do first and he just kept touching the materials, moving them from place to place around him, mumbling to himself about what he wanted to achieve. Just when he pulled something into his lap and examined his drawn pictures, he put it back, unsure if he should work on this piece first. In the back of his mind, he figured it was the pressure getting to him, which made him worry unnecessarily. He wanted to surprise Alya. 

He could already see the moment they would meet. He would walk up next to her as she was waiting for him, probably paying no attention to her surroundings and instead glancing on her phone. And when he would approach her, she would be surprised at first, but after he explained himself, she would beam at him, grin that super cute smile she had and maybe offer him a hug or a kiss. 

Damn, he really wanted that kiss. 

Nino pouted as he finally pulled the hoodie into his lap. It was in an off-cream colour, not quite white and he had to dye it or paint it to transform it into Rena Rouge colours. He was lucky his mom loved to experiment with colours and his home was loaded with the stuff he needed. He was worried though if the dye would work with the fabric of the hoodie, so he first tried painting over the material with orange paint, a custom blend his mother made. It proved to be easy enough and he continued it, humming to himself until most of the hoodie was in orange.

When he pulled the hoodie away to look at it, he was surprised with how well it looked. He stood up to find a hanger so he could hang it up and left to dry. Nino hoped it wouldn’t take all night and went to work on the shirt instead. He had the paint ready, the picture of the fox right in front of him, so he started sketching the outlines with his pencil. Even if he was an amateur, he had no problems with designing things. Maybe he was not as good as Marinette, but he always designed the covers for his mixtapes, so he wasn’t a lost cause. Soon the drawing was ready, so he started filling it with paint. 

In the quiet of his room, he only hummed or sang softly to fill the silence. He didn’t want to put on his headphones or really listen to some music, in case he would have to watch another tutorial. Instead, he focused on trying to think of songs and music that would fit Rena Rouge. It gave him another idea and when he was done with the shirt, after hanging it up and waiting for it to dry, he went to make a mixtape of songs reminding him of Rena Rouge. 

This time he did pull his headphones and covered his ears with them, wanting to be quiet while he googled and browsed his music library. Some choices were more obvious than others, some were jokes and some just addressed the feeling he got while watching Rena fight. From time to time he took another sip of his coffee, even though the drink was cold now. 

Despite the late hour and his lack of sleep, Nino wasn’t feeling tired. He was having a lot of fun and wondered if Alya felt the same each time she got a scoop before anyone else. He wondered if she would really like what he was doing, or if she would be jealous. 

Though he wasn’t sure if she would be jealous of the merchandise or jealous of his devotion to the new superheroine. The thought made him sigh and he slumped in his seat, waiting for the CD with the music to burn. His headphones rested around his neck and he pulled them away, putting them on his desk carefully, figuring they will be the best to customize, because of the orange details on them. As he went to work on them, his thoughts drifted yet again to Alya. Which was becoming a habit of his lately.

His relationship with Alya still felt new to him and he was unsure of where they were standing. While she admitted she found him cute and fun and liked spending time with him, he sometimes felt like a... charity case. Sure, it was probably unfair to think so, but sometimes he wondered if Alya really liked him as a boyfriend, or was he just a really close friend, which happened to be a boy. It’s not like they got together because they confessed their undying love for each other. And while Nino felt it was natural for him to fall in love with her, he wondered if Alya felt the same for him. 

Nino remembered the time he was too nervous to tell Marinette he liked her and blurted out Alya’s name instead. It’s not that he was lying back then too – both girls were adorable and while he knew Marinette a bit longer, Alya grew on him quickly. While he was sure Marinette might be sweet enough to go out with him, he was way too insecure to actually ask her out. 

But it was a different case with Alya. Everything just felt so easy with her. The time they got stuck in the cage together, he felt awkward, while Alya was exasperated with him. But after a few moments, they started talking freely. Nino had no problems with telling her that Marinette would try setting them up for a date and that he’s sorry for that. He explained the whole situation, feeling sheepish and somehow that warmed Alya’s heart. She shared her part of the story instead, patting him gently on his shoulder. 

When Alya touched him, it was as if an electric current flow through his shoulder down to his arm. He would never forget the way his heart started beating faster and louder, while Alya explained to him why Marinette couldn’t really date him, but he was less focused on her words, instead of watching her become animated as she talked.

Sure, he felt a bit bad that Marinette had a crush on Adrien, but he agreed with Alya that the two would be perfect for each other. And when Alya actually asked him out to hang out with her, he had no reason to say no. They could talk for hours. They both were a bit crazy about superheroes – him being a Chat Noir fan, her being crazy about Ladybug. They both had a similar taste in music and liked the same subjects in school. In the end, it turned out to be a pretty good date, with them going around the zoo together, getting ice-cream, listening to music and even cuddling on one of the benches. When Nino suggested buying sweet cookies for a sweet girl, Alya actually giggled and blushed and he felt butterflies in his stomach. He had never felt like that about Marinette. 

Falling for Alya was quick and natural and way more serious than him liking Marinette. It was a bit scary too. Because while Nino had told Alya that he liked her, she just smiled at him, offered him a high-five and said “Likewise!”. 

Sure, they had been on numerous dates and more often than not, he got to hug her or brush her hair, tap her on the nose and he felt like she had a grin reserved only for him, but there was something missing. Like there was that a small barrier that he couldn’t breach, which put him in the best-friend category instead of a boyfriend category. He had his suspicions on why he felt that way and that it was just his paranoia and nothing else, but he couldn’t help himself really. 

He was still waiting for their first kiss. He wasn’t even sure if Alya wanted to kiss him. They didn’t even kiss their cheeks in greeting and it was driving him mad. He was too shy to actually try to kiss her, he wanted her full consent and he wanted her to want to kiss him. He spent nights fantasizing about it. Should it be romantic, like Adrien-level romantic? Or should it be casual, just an affectionate peck on the lips, which would make Alya smile up at him? Maybe it would happen as an accident when they would be sitting close, laughing and leaning into each other until their lips just kind of bumped into each other? There were endless possibilities and he couldn’t even pick a scenario he liked best. He just wanted Alya to be more affectionate, but he wasn’t sure if she was aware of that. Or worse: if she wanted to be. 

She was already so cool and such an amazing girlfriend. It was her who grabbed his hand first and held it while they walked. It was her putting his arm around her shoulders for the first time, telling him it felt good. Alya had no problems snuggling close to him or hugging him or stealing his cap to force it on the top of her head. She was very tactile and it both made Nino very happy and utterly confused as to why she wouldn’t kiss him.

So while Nino really liked the new heroine, found her really awesome and wanted to honour her, he was partially wanting to impress Alya. Which would explain his determination and dedication. He didn’t pause, even for a moment and instead kept working. While the CD was getting burned, he checked on the paint on the hoodie and since it was dry, he ironed it, to set it. When the CD was ready, he picked a custom picture for it and another one for the cover and back cover with the list of the songs. When it was getting printed, he set the paint on the t-shirt, which also managed to dry. Only when he was finished with both the mixtape and shirt, he got back to the hoodie, this time with a brown paint. 

While the time passed he was feeling more and more tired. When he finished painting and left the hoodie hanging to dry, he wondered if he should make himself more coffee, or if it would be futile. He knew that the hardest part was coming now. 

He was right. The early morning hours proved to be the most difficult. Nino wasn’t hopeless with a needle, he was quite skilled with sewing back buttons, but the stitching was proving to a challenge. He had seen countless video tutorials on how to do it and he also closely studied pictures posted online. Still, the needle more often than not landed at his fingertips, the thread got messy and he had to either cut the thread or spend countless minutes trying to untangle it. He wasn’t doing anything too fancy though. Just a simple heart with an 'R' on the hoodies’ arm sleeves and an 'I heart RR' on the cap. But it was proving to be the most difficult task. 

For the time being, he was still waiting for the hoodie to dry and then he would have to set the paint with an iron, so he decided to work on the cap first. Reluctantly, he pushed himself from the floor and once again sneaked into the kitchen. His parents would surely be disappointed to learn how many cups of coffee he had drunk, but he felt like it was helping with keeping him awake and determined. Plus they allowed it sometimes, especially when he was studying for tests, so he hoped they would understand if he explained it was a special situation. 

Nino wasn’t aware of the fact he was covered with paint here and there, that his hands were looking redder and abused with each passing minute. His hair was unruly, sticking out in places, and a bit of clay was stuck to few strands. He had a bit of glue on his hands too and tried to peel it off, but it started coming off with his skin so he left it, for now, to figure out how to get it off later. He was sure his mom would help him out in the morning. Well, in few more hours.

After returning to his room, a new cup of coffee in hand, he sat down to stitch the inscription on the cap. First, he used his pencil to write what he wanted to see there and then selected the threads he would need. Because the cap was inflexible, putting the needle through the material wasn’t easy. 

“Ouch!”

A needle prickled his already sensitive skin. Nino quickly put his abused finger into his mouth, grumbling unhappily. He always had respected Marinette, but now, his respect had sky-rocketed. Marinette was a goddess and if she had graced him with a handmade gift ever again, he would worship her. But now he was fighting with a stupid cap, fabrics, threads, scissors and a needle. Definitely not what he was expecting to do this night. 

Waiting for the pain to pass, he glanced at his phone, which was currently replaying Rena Rouge working her magic to help Chat Noir and Ladybug. It made him smile, as he pulled his finger way and examined it. He would surely need to tend to his hands later after he was finished with everything. It had to wait though, as he had a heart to fill with red thread. He was working slowly, glancing at the various films he recorded today and drinking his coffee to stay awake. When he finally cut the thread, as he finished stitching, he allowed himself to grin stupidly at the cap, quite proud of his work. 

When he was done with the cap, for now, Nino checked up on the hoodie. The paint dried so he could set it and didn’t wait long to try it on. He almost smiled in victory, but then he remembered the reason he wasn’t really using it. The zipper was broken and he was unable to pull it up to fasten the hoodie. Nino moaned before remembering that he had seen some zipper tapes hidden in his mom’s closet. Without thought, still in the hoodie, he made his way out of his room, still careful not to wake up anyone. He found what he was looking for, picking a white zipper tape, before cursing inwardly, realizing what that had meant. It seemed he would spend more time with the needles after all. 

At least the only things that still needed to be done were the hoodie and the cap. Wanting to take a short break, he went to the kitchen to fetch himself a can of coke, picked up an apple and a banana for a snack and went back to his room. He had enough of coffee, it made him go to the bathroom numerous times and made him hungry. 

The hoodie was warm, so he stayed in it for the time being, putting the zipper tape aside and focusing on the fabric scraps he collected earlier. They were in similar orange and brown colours that the paint he used, as well as in white. He wanted to use them to make fake fox ears for his cap. 

It might have been the fatigue or the fact that he felt warm in the hoodie, but he was starting to get drowsy, which only resulted into the needle easily prickling his skin, making him hiss or flinch from pain. More often than not, he sucked on his fingertips, when there was blood drawn and he was determined not to get anything dirty. 

Once again he googled a tutorial on how to make fox ears and tried to copy what he saw to the best of his abilities. He took a short break and ate the fruits he collected from the kitchen and to drink, the tiredness almost overwhelming him, but he knew that he could nap later. He was meeting with Alya sometime in the afternoon when she and Marinette would end their trip to the amusement park with Alya’s sisters Ella and Etta. Alya promised to send him a text with a time when they could meet. 

For now, he tried to focus on sewing the fabric together without making the stitching seem awkward. He was taking his time with it, careful not to make mistakes, which the tutorials warned him about. He was too tired to hum, but the video he was watching and pausing from time to time had a pleasant melody, which got stuck in his head and played there on repeat when it got quiet. With the ears were ready, he knew he had to sew them onto the cap, making him regret the idea in the first place. But the thought of Alya kept him going. 

As Nino secured the first ear’s stitching, so the plush inside of it won’t get out, he wondered if Alya would really like what he had made. It was something he never did. Making merchandise? For a superhero? For himself? That seemed out of character to him, but something, like a sixth sense, was telling him it was a brilliant idea. 

Well, it seemed to be an awesome idea a few hours ago, now though, he was having second thoughts. Would Alya really be exited? Sure he had videos that he would show her first, which would explain to her that there is a new superheroine in town. And he could proudly say he was starting her fanclub and Alya would surely help him out with that. But Nino knew her favourite was Ladybug, so maybe she would be unimpressed that he had gone to this lengths for Rena Rouge? Or maybe she would ask him why he made all this stuff?

Just as he was securing the second ear, his thoughts turned dark, making him sigh. He put everything away, letting the materials rest in his lap. Nino pulled his glasses off and pressed the palms of his hands against his eyes. He was getting paranoid again, worried because he was tired. He would have to rest before meeting Alya, or else he would become a sputtering, incoherent mess before her. 

He really loved her. He was still too worried to tell her so, not sure of her response, but he wouldn’t lie to himself. He wanted to make her happy, even with something as stupid as handmade merchandise of a new superhero. He hoped she would make a post on Ladyblog about it, bragging about her great boyfriend. He wanted to make her proud. It was that simple. 

As his hands fell, his eyesight a bit blurry, he tried to start sewing one of the ears to the cap, not paying much attention to it, his thoughts elsewhere. 

Nino wished he could become a Miraculous wielder and save Alya from an akuma while she was filming him. He wished she would swoon at the sight of him, declare he’s the best superhero ever and become his number one fan. He wished she would see straight through his superhero disguise and just know that it’s him, yet kept it a secret and still cheer him on. 

Before Nino realized, he was already asleep, his back supported by the big fluffy pillow, the hoodie keeping him warm. His dreams didn’t show his superhero persona but focused on the admiration and lovestruck expression Alya wore as she looked up at him. She whispered his name softly and her hands went to circle around his neck, surely to land a kiss as a thank-you gesture for saving her. 

“Nino? Why is the light-”

Nino yelped as his mother’s voice brought him back to consciousness. She looked at him bemused, taking in the mess in his room and his state. She was visibly startled as she didn’t finish her question, staring at her son instead. 

He yawned and shook his head, quickly reaching for his glasses. “Is it morning already?” Nino asked, trying to blink the sleep away. 

His mother smiled at him and nodded. “I would offer you coffee, but something tells me you already drank some. I’ll make you a strong tea instead. And breakfast.”

Nino mirrored her smile, “Sounds great, thanks.”

She didn’t ask any further questions and closed the door before going to the kitchen. At the same time, Nino looked down into his lap, examining the cap. He started to sew one of the ears, but it got loose during his sleep. And he should have thought about how to sew the ears so they would be symmetrical. As he was thinking how to achieve that, his mother returned with small sandwiches and the promised tea. Nino thanked her again but didn’t move to take the food she offered. He hadn’t even noticed his mother crouching in front of him, busy looking at the cap in his hands. 

“You can use the cap’s seams.” Nino glanced up at his mother, before she continued, her fingers tracing alongside the fabric of the cap, “The seams would be the best place to put the ears. You just have to measure the distance accordingly and they will be symmetrical”, she explained. 

“That’s genius,” Nino whispered before standing up and rushing to his desk to retrieve a measuring tape he was sure he had in one of the drawers, “Thanks, mom!”

She laughed softly, before standing up and once again exiting the room, leaving Nino buzzing with new-found energy. He found the tape and settled back on his spot on the floor, wriggling about until he got comfortable against his pillow. Once again he pulled the needed materials close and got to work. 

Using his pencil he marked the exact spots where he would sew the ears and took a break to eat and drink his tea. Knowing it was morning, he also pulled his phone to check if there were any more news about Rena Rouge, but while there had been some written articles about her already, there were no pictures or videos nor any mentions of her name. Giddy with happiness and more determined, Nino got back to work. 

He finished with the ears in no-time and as a reward, he went to make himself another cup of tea. He showed the cap to his mother, who gave him a thumbs up. After returning to his room, he finally shrugged off his hoodie and examined the zipper once more. He would have to unseam the thread holding it and then sew on the new one, but he hoped it wouldn’t take long. And after that, he would take a nice shower and nap some more. After all, he had a date later and he didn’t want to be tired by then. 

He really hoped Alya would like the surprise he prepared for her.

~~*~~

While Nino was walking, he could feel the stares of people landing on him and refusing to let go of the sight of him. It was cool, he was prepared for it, but still, he couldn’t help the blush that settled on his cheeks because of that. And when he finally saw Alya sitting on a bench where they agreed to meet, his blush grew tenfold. She was busy with her phone, so she didn’t even notice him as he came closer.

It was his doing too. Just a minute ago, he finally sent her the music video he had edited, with the caption ‘Rena Rouge – the new kick-ass superhero’. He knew Alya would focus all of her attention on it, so he wouldn’t feel awkward about being observed by her as he approached. But it was still unnerving that he was right in front of her and yet she didn’t notice him, her eyes glued to the phone. 

“You’re welcome”, he said instead of a greeting and Alya jumped in her seat, her head snapping up. Her jaw had already been low as she was watching the video with her mouth agape, but now taking in Nino’s attire, her eyes grew wide and her whole face lightened up with a blush. 

“So, I’m kind of thinking of starting a fanclub, you know?” Nino continued, quite happy with the reaction he was getting, though thoroughly confused by the blush. Or maybe he looked good in orange? His mom did tell him it complimented his eyes. 

Alya was still speechless, her eyes roaming all over him, unsure of where to focus first. Nino twirled happily in place, getting a whimper in answer. His mom helped him with the idea to give his old jean’s back pockets a makeover as well, painting there little foxes, similar to the one on his t-shirt. He also managed to find an orange bag, where he put his other stuff. 

“Her name is Rena Rouge – and I do have it on tape, her introducing herself to Chat Noir – and she is super cool. A real vixen, if you ask me.” 

“Oh God,” Alya finally whispered, pulling her glasses up so they could rest on the top of her head as she covered her eyes with one hand. She pulled herself up, her other hand clutching the sleeve of Nino’s hoodie, “Please, stop talking. I can’t take it.”

“Awww, am I embarrassing you?” Nino chuckled, happy with how adorable Alya was being, even though it was not the reaction he was expecting from her. He put the bag on the bench and pulled out the case where he put the pendant for Alya. “And here I came bearing gifts, and you don’t want to talk to me,” he sighed dramatically. 

Alya glanced at him through her fingers, only one eye visible to him. “Gifts?” she asked weakly. 

Without any explanation, he pulled out the pendant, already hanging on a string his mother gave him earlier. She explained to him it would be better this way and from the way Alya reacted to it, she was right. 

There was whimpering, as Alya made grabby hands before reaching for the pendant as if she was afraid to touch it. When he let go of the string and let Alya hold the pendant, her eyes watered and she blinked the emotions away, before looking at Nino with the cutest grin, the one he often dreamt about. 

“You’re welcome,” he repeated, a sheepish grin settling on his lips. This was exactly what hat he wanted. Nothing could make this moment more perfect, not even a ki-

“Okay, now you will have to bear the consequences,” Alya muttered, snapping Nino from his daydream. “Mind you, this is all your fault,” she continued. Before he could ask what she was talking about, he was being pulled closer to her, one of Alya’s hands grabbing the hem of his shirt. 

Before he could register what had happened, besides the softness he felt for a second against his lips, Alya was pulling back, talking in a hushed voice. 

“I know you’re probably not ready for kissing, but dammit, you cannot be this cute and expect me to keep my cool and this stuff is awesome, how did you even get it donnn-” her words got cut off. 

Because Nino couldn’t stand any more second of this. Of not kissing her. Of her thinking he didn’t want to kiss her, or that he wasn’t ready to kiss her. He so was and he was going to prove it to her. By kissing her back. 

He leaned down and looked Alya in the eyes, waiting for her to understand what he was about to do before pushing forward. Her lips were as soft against his as the first time and he closed his eyes, to focus on the feel of them. 

For a moment he let Alya relax against him, before slowly moving his lips alongside hers. He wasn’t that sure of what he was doing, more like trying to copy what he had seen other people do while kissing, but Alya wasn’t discouraged. If the soft sigh she made against his lips was any indication, she was fully enjoying herself. If he pulled away a little it was only to plant a kiss on a different part of her mouth, which earned him a smile. When Alya fully grinned and laughed, he pecked her nose. Alya’s hand that was grabbing his shirt went to cup his cheek instead, while his hands rested on her waist. 

When he tried to change the kiss and opened his mouth, Alya mirrored his move. He was too shy to try and involve his tongue, but Alya seemed content to try and fit their mouths together until they were both breathless and quite giddy from happiness. 

Nino was first to pull away from the kissing, his heart pounding so loudly, he felt it in his ears. Alya was still looking adorable, her face flushed, her grin making her look breathtaking. He wanted to lean down and kiss her again, but he promised himself he would have time to that later because it looked like she wanted to say something.

“You’ll help me put this on?” Alya brought the necklace between them. Nino was sure he would make an embarrassing sound if he spoke, so he nodded instead. He watched Alya spin around and put her hair up, so he could reach around her neck and secure the necklace. 

“I thought it would suit you,” he admitted quietly and blushed even harder under Alya’s loving gaze when she turned to face him again. “And I was dying to kiss you. I thought you didn’t like me enough to kiss me.”

Alya’s look grew exasperated and sad for a second. She shook her head, returning the glasses to the bridge of her nose. “Are you kidding me? I love you, of course I want to kiss you, but it was always me indicating any kind of contact between us and-”

“I love you too!” Nino interrupted her, pulling her close into a hug. “Oh God, I love you so, so much, I think you’re amazing, you know that? And I wanted you to be one of the first people to know about Rena Rouge and she’s pretty great too and I’m sure you’re going to love her. I’m-I’m just really shy with you,” he admitted.

Alya was squeezing him and laughing softly in his arms. 

“Let me guess,” her voice turned teasing and Nino groaned at the tone, “You made all this merchandise and filmed all this great footage to get a reward from me?”

“Yes?” 

“You’re the amazing one, Nino. You’re my superhero right now,” her voice grew soft and warm, “If it weren’t for you, probably nobody would know about Rena.”

Nino chuckled weakly before releasing her from his embrace. For some reason, Alya seemed reluctant to let go. “Well until her next appearance.”

Alya smiled sadly, but she seemed to overcome it quickly. “So, what else do you have? And where did you get all of this stuff from?”

“I made it myself,” Nino grinned, “And I have one more thing for you for now,” he rummaged through his bag before pulling out the CD, “If you’ll want anything else, I’ll make it for you. Or we can ask Marinette for something even more awesome or-”

“No.” Alya shook her head. “Those things being made by you mean the world to me.” And once again she smiled that cute smile, which made Nino’s knees weak and his face hot. But now he also knew what to do to distract himself from that amazing grin of hers. 

Kiss it away. 

If Nino ever met Rena Rouge again, he would have to thank her for helping him get that first kiss with Alya. And maybe he would brag he was hers number one fan.

**Author's Note:**

> **Alternative title: How Nino got his first kiss, thanks to Rena Rouge.**
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> If anyone is interested, the song Nino used for the MV was _Let Go for Tonight_ by **Foxes**. 
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> And here is an 8track playlist with the songs he used for the mixtape (warning: one of the songs uses explicit language because I didn't own the clean version of it): http://8tracks.com/mixes/8759281


End file.
